Monday, July 31, 2006

If you haven't lost interest in Canadian Idol, you might want to catch tonight's episode and Tuesday's result show.

This week, Idol is doing its annual "tribute to the 80's" where the contestants, perform their favourite songs from a decade that has been marred in the debate of whether good music came out of it, or not. Last season's episode saw performances of "Tainted Love" and "In The Air Tonight," just to name a few.

Here's the kicker: This year, contestants got to meet and receive advice from Cyndi Lauper. This proves two things. One, Cyndi Lauper is probably coming out with a new album soon; and two, CTV is completely capitalizing on their MTV connections.

Friday, July 28, 2006

How the $#%@ does Montana's on Steels Avenue at 7pm (in the bubble known as Thornhill), suddenly change to The Keg at Jarvis and Wellesley (downtown Toronto) at 6:20pm? And how is it that I don't find out about this until 6:40pm?

No call the day before.No e-mail.No indication that things had changed.

Doing things at the last minute: it's cool when it comes to school work. But it sure doesn't work in other aspects of life.

I missed a very good friend's birthday dinner party and I am extremely upset about it.

Another friend said, "just take the subway."

Let's see: Dinner is at 6:20. I didn't get home until 6:40 (would have been home earlier had I known about it). I change and shower and out the door by 6:50. Walk to the bus stop which takes us to 7:00. The bus eventually comes and I get to Finch Subway by 7:30. Hop on the train and arrive at Wellesley Station at 8:00. Knowing myself, I get a little lost and finally arrive at The Keg somewhere between 8:20 - 8:30. By then everyone has eaten and are pretty much set to go somewhere else.

I'm all for spontaneity, but use your head.

Here is the most important part of this entry: I want to wish my good friend Mike, a Happy and Healthy Birthday. Sorry I wasn't there, buddy. Hope you had a great day.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

You know, I spend lots of money to get a piece of paper that says I know something and where do I end up? At the same "paying job" I have had since I was 15.

It is getting very frustrating.

Since April, I have applied to close to 50 jobs and not one has lead to at least an interview. I don't know what I have to do for these employers. I've had the resume properly formatted, I have enough experience and I have a degree. What more do they want? Is it because I'm a fish out of water? Is working at a community/campus station for four years not good enough for experience? Is it because I'm not a visible minority?

*sigh*

I realize something will come eventually. But for now, my patience is wearing a bit thin.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

A popular BBC program called Top of the Pops will be going off the air in a few weeks. The program had an amazing 42-year run as one of the most well-known programs to come out of the United Kingdom. It was just as big as Coronation Street or Monty Python's Flying Circus.

In its heyday, TOTP was the show to be on if you were an emerging artist. Many well-known acts got their big break from being on the show. The concept was perfect, have the artists of the weekly top songs on the charts, perform on the show. If an act was unavailable, play the song and have a bunch of people dance on stage. To make it even more fun, have the show go live.

It would be awesome if there was a show like this in Canada. Unfortunately, I have a feeling it would not be as successful thanks to channels like MuchMusic and MTV Canada.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

1. I would like to proudly announce that this blog and The Audio Circus podcast are now listed on the website, PublicBroadcasting.ca. PB.CA is a "guide to Canadian blogs, podcasts, video casts and independent media on every subject, from every part of the country."

2. Starting with the July 19th post, I will be replying to any comments by posting a comment of my own. I have always enjoyed the constant banter that occurs on any blog's comment section.

3. I would like to remind all the four-year-olds out there that markers go on paper and not on your face and ears.

Friday, July 21, 2006

The WWE has announced that their ECW program which is shown on the Sci-Fi Channel in the United States, will be broadcasted on CanWest's Global TV and Xtreme Digital Channel. Starting August 11, ECW will be aired at three separate times: Fridays at Midnight on Global, and Saturdays at 1pm and Sundays at 4am on Xtreme.

Too bad we're only getting the softer, WWE version of ECW. To be fair, WWE is putting out a decent product despite the fact they are not allowing Paul Heyman to book the show. I have also enjoyed the build up they are making for C.M. Punk.

During ECW's heyday, there was never a television carrier in Canada. I always thought the organization would be perfect for a station like CityTV. To me, it seemed that ECW's presentation and passion would fit nicely with Moses Znaimer's vision of television. It could have really developed a cult following in Canada but alas, this was not the case.

Regardless, I am excited that there will be more wrestling on television.

Thursday, July 20, 2006

I don't like talking about this issue but, there is something that I wanted to get off my chest.

There have been reports about many Lebanese-Canadians who are upset with how the government has responded to their need to evacuate. However, during such a crisis, finger-pointing and frustration are items that bring nothing but disaster.

I understand that these people are going through extreme hardship right now. I have never experienced this but I can tell you that I would not wish this on my worst enemy. Still, I wish that these civilians would focus on getting to Canada safely rather then bashing the government.

No one could have seen the violence escalate at such an alarming rate. I don't think any government, no matter how big or how rich, could plan for a "mass exodus" in only a few short days. Unfortunately, there is just no way that everyone (and we're talking about close to 40,000 people here) could be accommodated in a safe, satisfying and orderly manner. I'm surprised that people are surprised by the fact that some evacuees were not given proper conditions for long periods of time. I hate to say this but, I feel that some evacuees (but not all of them) were expecting a bit too much.

To be fair, I do feel that the government took too long to come up with a contingency plan. The French and U.S. governments already had plans by the start of the week while Canada did not come up with anything until a few days ago. Unfortunately, these type of situations need quick decisions.

Meanwhile, there is only one thing that will allow everyone involved to get through this mass evacuation: patience.

Monday, July 17, 2006

I went on down to the ball game and saw the Blue Jays beat the Mariners in extra innings. When it came time to go home, I found out that the TTC subway line from Union to Finch was out of service. I said goodbye to my friend who took the streetcar home and made my way to the special shuttle service that was set up.

Taking the bus up Yonge Street is not as fast and efficient as the subway. Nevertheless, it was quite the experience and by the time we reached the Eglington station, the subways resumed their service.

Meanwhile, I'm slightly congested and completely fatigued. If you know me, you know exactly how I acquired this condition; from the "customers" of my "paying job."

Sunday, July 16, 2006

The website where I upload the podcast, told me it was still uploading. After nearly three hours of seeing this message, I gave up. Then, I went back to check on something and it was there, launched with a URL.

Better late then never ;-)

In any case...

It is with great pleasure that I announce that my new podcast, The Audio Circus, is officially launched. I would like to take this time to thank all those who offered advice and guidance, whether it was helping me with the website and RSS feeds or simply listening to the "Experimental Podcasts." Your assistance is greatly appreciated.

I not sure how to describe the podcast. It's not a comedy or serious broadcast. It's not political, news oriented, sports related or musically themed. Instead, it takes all these themes and puts them under one category: Variety.

It is a podcast that offers something for everyone and a whole lot more.

I began to upload the first episode of my podcast at 7:50pm. It is now 10:28pm and that damn thing is still uploading. It's a 13 minute show that equals to 11.9MB. I would like to blame the website but the sad fact is that its probably because of my "Basic-Lite" service. All I wanted to do was take my mp3 and put it on the show's website. In order to do that, I need Odeo to create the URL for it. There has got to be an easier way.

To make matters worse, I have that funny feeling in my throat which I only get when I'm on the verge of getting a fever/cold.

I'm really sorry I was not able to come through on my promise. Stay tuned for updates.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Yeah, that's what the ECW fans want; two wrestlers who never wrestled in ECW. Two wrestlers who should not even be in the main event. This is what happens when you reassign Paul Heyman. Horrible decision making.

Monday, July 10, 2006

Time Life is a company that puts together CD compilations and mails them to customers in monthly installments. It's the type of deal where you purchase ten CDs for the price of $10. You've probably also seen the infomercials whether its to sell you "Love Songs of the 1980's" or "Pure Soul."

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Italy defeated France on Penalty Kicks to win its fourth title. It was a hard fought match and with both teams scoring goals in the opening twenty minutes, there were signs that this final would be a classic. In the end, it would not fully achieve such status but, it certainly was thrilling.

My only concern is similar to the concern that is probably on the minds of most soccer fans: What the heck was Zidine Zidane thinking? This was his final game; an end to one of the most successful careers. Instead of a swan song, it was an instrumental disaster. Granted the Italian player probably said something cruel and petty. But that does not justify the captain of the French squad to lose his cool like that; especially when its the World Cup final and your team is a few minutes away from a shootout.

My only hope is that fans remember Zidane for his play on the field and not this sudden moment of insanity.

In the meantime, here is a commercial that Adidas put together for the World Cup. Personally, I really enjoyed it. The great thing about televised soccer matches is that there are no commercial breaks during the action. Therefore, this commercial never got too repetitive. It comes in two parts.

Friday, July 07, 2006

By accident I came across Metropia. The episode was about this washed up athlete who begged his best friend's ex-wife to take him off her amateur porn website. Apparently the athlete and the ex-wife did the nasty and she secretly taped it. She told him his performance was horrible but, it was the most watched clip.

Monday, July 03, 2006

Yesterday it was announced that five Blue Jays will represent the American League at the upcoming All-Star game. I cannot begin to tell you how happy this makes me. The Jays have not had so much representation since 1993 when they sent seven players. However, there is one point that bugs me.

Four of five the players are more then well-deserved to be named to the A.L. team. Those players being Roy Halliday, BJ Ryan, Vernon Wells and Alex Rios. But then, there is Troy Glaus.

Don't get me wrong, Glaus is a great player. However, Lyle Overbay is having a much better season then Glaus. Overbay has been consistent the entire season and always comes through in the clutch.

Saturday, July 01, 2006

For the second straight Canada Day, I spent the day celebrating by watching a film about a DC Comics super hero. This time it was Superman Returns. It was a very entertaining film. Slow at times but otherwise, it was worth the admission price. If you're looking for any reason to see it, you should do so just to see the performance by Kevin Spacey. Not only is Spacey a huge fan of Superman but he is also phenomenal as Lex Luther.

Now to recap the Quarter-finals of the World Cup:

Going into this weekend's action, Argentina was the team I thought had the best shot to win the tournament.

Final Result: Germany beats Argentina on Penalty Kicks

Okay. If Argentina is out then, England would be your best bet. The poor nation has not won the World Cup since 1966. For England, that is forty long and painful years. They're due, right?

Final Result: Portugal beats England on Penalty Kicks

Alright, then it has to be Brazil. They're the most dominant nation in Soccer. They have the best players and the best structure. Simply put, they're far better then any of the other remaining teams.